Review comments

Those lucky enough to live in the Cesar Chavez boundary lines should thank their lucky stars. We chose to buy in this part of town because of this hidden gem of a school. They perform above almost all of the schools in the "popular" parts of Bakersfield. Their Kindergarten staff is AMAZING. In fact, their upper grades and their special education teachers are great as well. The only weakness seems to be one or two less-than-friendly support staff in the front office. That's a shame, because they're the first people parents come into contact with, and they don't represent the care and friendliness of the rest of the school. I'm thrilled to have my children at this school.

I have been a parent of Cesar E. Chavez students for the past 13 yrs. I see my children are excelling thanks to the high standards & expectations set up by the school. Our school has a private school feeling for being a public school. Friendly, happy, clean, and huge emphasis on future education helps produce a brighter and smarter future for Bakersfield, Ca.

Cesar Chavez Elementary School has a very good magnet program. Our grandson is in Kindergarden there. His teacher is very helpful and concerned with his progress. They make themselves very approchable and available for the parents and children. They are very concerned with teaching not just play time.

This is one of the schools with a higher rating in the BCSD, but it's not because of the teachers. There are some great teachers, but there are also some teachers who have come to expect that students should already know the material before they start the school year. I think that most of the lower performing schools have a superior staff because they actually have to earn the scores, rather than just expecting the parents to pull the bulk of the weight.

The kindergarten teachers are really special at this school. My child's teacher in particular went above and beyond in my opinion to make learning fun. It was a big adjustment going from a small preschool to a huge school like Chavez, but the K staff made the transition, completely bearable. We were fortunate that our child enjoyed her first year of school and is looking forward to making learning an even more fun experience next year. I would offer the suggestion however, that the administration stagger the times for grade level assemblies. Last year there were so many crammed into the multipurpose room at the Christmas show that we could not even see over people to see our child on stage. This assembly was a complete disaster in terms of how it was managed. But, to end on a good note, our child is happy to go to school and that is all that really matters to us.

Longtime Principal Ruscel Reader retired and a noticeable drop in customer service in the front office has followed. School support for the GATE program has nearly disappeared. State testing scores fell modestly for the first time. Chavez has always been one of a slight few exceptions to an indifferent Bakersfield City School District, that seems to rely on a demographic crutch to explain its perennial underwhelming performance. This year, the complacency that marks the district appears to have spilled over into Chavez. No surprise since it imported its new leadership from some of the most notorious underperforming district schools. The administrative office could make it a point of learning all of the children's names, greeting parents when they came in the door - and excusing themselves from personal conversations, or seemingly purposeless dawdling. A simple, "Welcome, I'll be right with you," would go a tremendous ways. Scores may come down as a natural consequence of a growing community, but attention to parents and kids, smiles at the front desk and a, "How can I help you?" instead of "Yes?" would be a good start to restoring a proud tradition.

My child has attended this school for three years now & I must say the staff truly cares about their kids. Chavez makes a point to have events that focus on community strength, goal completion, and morale building of the youth attending there. The staff really helped to support my child's well-being during a very unstable and difficult time -- I love this school.

I have had three children attend Cesar Have in the past. All my children received a fine education especially, in the Science and Math field. The only complaint I have is too bad it's not a middle school. Once they enter Jr. High the learning is stalled. It's my opinion.

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